A high school football coach wanted for child pornography offenses has been missing for over a month. Here’s what we know

By Alaa Elassar, CNN

(CNN) — For more than a month, a Virginia high school football coach accused of child pornography offenses has remained missing after vanishing from his home without a trace.

His sudden flight and consequent disappearance has left behind a stunned community — including his wife, children and the team he once led — and a trail of unanswered questions.

Travis Turner, 46, is believed by his family to have walked out of his home on November 20 in Appalachia carrying a firearm and disappearing into the thick, mountainous woods. He hasn’t been seen since.

Virginia State Police said they were on their way to visit Turner at his home, but when they arrived, the coach was already gone. Days later, they announced the coach is wanted on five counts of child pornography possession and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor.

Here’s what we know.

The last time he was seen

The last-known contact Turner’s family had with him was on or around Thursday, November 20, when he set off into the nearby woods with a firearm, the family’s attorney, Adrian Collins, said in a statement. At that time, no arrest warrants had been issued for him.

“Criminal charges were not obtained against Turner until days after he failed to return home,” he added. “He was not a fugitive nor wanted by law enforcement at the time he went missing. His wife was not helping him escape, she was asking for help to find him.”

When Turner failed to return home that night, his wife immediately contacted local authorities but was informed that a missing person report couldn’t be filed until 24 hours had passed, according to Collins. The next day, she formally reported him missing to the Virginia State Police. The family has been fully cooperative with law enforcement in their ongoing search for Turner, Collins said.

“Police are actively searching for Turner. Since his disappearance, VSP has utilized a number of assets, including search and rescue teams, drones and k9s, to assist in the search. VSP’s main priority is locating Turner safely; he is now considered a fugitive,” Virginia State Police said in their only statement, issued on November 25.

The United States Marshals Service is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for any information on Turner, the agency announced on its Facebook page on December 1.

CNN has reached out to Virginia State Police and the US Marshals for an update, but has not heard back.

A husband, father and coach

Turner’s family released an updated statement through Collins, their attorney, confirming their homes and properties “have been searched multiple times, with their consent.”

Turner left his car and keys at home, as well as his contact lenses, glasses, wallet, license and cash, Collins said. Turner also left behind his prescribed daily medications, “which he needs,” the attorney said. “It is not like Travis to disappear or stay away from home.”

Turner, who was listed as a physical education teacher at Union High School in a now-removed entry on the school’s online staff roster, was last seen wearing a gray sweatshirt, sweatpants and glasses, state police said. The agency hasn’t shared any details about when or where he was last seen or who may have seen him last.

“If Travis has the ability and is able to respond to his family’s wishes; your wife and children are in distress. Leslie pleads for you to come home and face the allegations by defending yourself in a court of law,” Collins said. “Don’t leave your family to fight this battle without you. They love and miss you. They want you to know they are your support.”

In an email to CNN on Tuesday, Wise County Public Schools superintendent Mike Goforth said the district is “aware that law enforcement has filed charges against a staff member who has been on administrative leave.” Turner is not permitted on school property or to have contact with students, Goforth said.

In the heart of rural Appalachia, a tight-knit western Virginia community of fewer than 2,000 people shaken by unimaginable accusations has rallied behind its high school football team, whose season of short-lived triumph felt like a bittersweet battle for redemption.

On Facebook, the community has been vocal and unwavering, insisting that the spotlight should be on the players — not the accusations surrounding their coach.

“The student athletes are not the ones charged, and should be left out of all this,” Mountain 7 Sports Report, which covers the student games, said in a social media post. Parents of the football players and other members of the community replied in agreement.

Court records have been sealed

Beyond confirming that Turner is wanted on five counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor, Virginia State Police have not released any further information on the case against Turner and what crimes he is being accused of committing.

On December 9, the Wise County Circuit Court Clerk told CNN affiliate WCYB that a judge ordered all records connected to the Turner investigation be sealed, including the order that sealed them.

The Wise County School Board met for the first time following Turner’s disappearance on December 8. During the meeting, the board chair declined to address questions about personnel issues, stating that the board’s priority remains the students. Public comment was also taken off the meeting agenda.

An ongoing search and the mystery of his disappearance

Since Turner’s disappearance, authorities have used search and rescue teams, drones and police dogs to try to locate him, state police have said.

Searching the area, nestled in a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains, isn’t easy.

Its rugged topography, carved by rivers and forests with elevations that vary from low valleys to high peaks, makes for a challenging environment for search and rescue operations.

Outside of police dogs and foot traffic, authorities may need to rely on technology, like motion sensors left in an area of interest that send signals to the search team’s base, or drones with heat-sensing abilities that can track movement, said John Miller, CNN’s chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst. That’s not a perfect science, he notes, given all the activity such sensors pick up.

If Turner is in the woods, weather could impact how he fares. Since his disappearance, the area has seen warmer-than-normal temperatures during the day and overnight – sometimes with light rainfall, but not enough to flood the area, according to CNN meteorologist Mary Gilbert.

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